DotHack DAWN
by Naomi Wiflath
Summary: Finally, after the years of waiting. .hack fans are rewarded their first true MMO version of The World. .:Probably wont be continued, as I have lost interest:.


.hack/DAWN

A fan fiction by:

Naomi Wiflath

"_Are you looking for the end? The end… may not come in the way you expect. Even so, do you… still want to find __**The End?**__"_

"_We Do. No matter what type of ending it might be… we will accept it."_

"_I hope your ending… will be kind to you."_

In the late 90's, CC Corp was nothing more then a small circle of programmers. It wasn't long before 'Project .Hack' was initiated. No one knew of this of course, nor that "The World" was a massive project with technology far beyond the known norm. They continuously tested and studied, introducing to the wakening world the .hack project in clever ways. Games, animes, mangas and more were spawned from it, not only giving the team more data, but virtually unlimited funds. The number of fans grew exponentially, and it wasn't until 2010 that "The World" would become a reality. A real and interactive online world, true to its nature in every way…

To celebrate the joyous occasion- a special launch party was held- with ten lucky drawing winners- from six continents. With their amazing stroke of luck- they were flown to Japan to enjoy the celebrations. When the day was at hand- the winners were transported via stretch hummers to the Kishinawa Entertainment Center.

Within the limo that carried a group of North American winners to the K.E.C (as it was dubbed by someone), an excited conversation was unfolding. Everyone couldn't help but chatter excitedly like startled birds.

"I cant believe it. I just cant believe it. We will be the first users to log into "_The World!_" exclaimed a large, heavyset teenager. He had a terrible habit of pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose constantly.

"I wonder though. Is this version based on that poem?" asked another boy, who was as thin as a bean pole and able to contain his excitement. A female in her late teens, who had been gazing out the window- diverted her attention to the comment.

"I wonder what the full poem is like." She asked; speaking for the first time in a while.

"F-Y-I, its not just some silly old poem. Its an epic tale known as the Epitaph of Twilight." The heavy boy huffed, earning himself a scowl from the girl.

"Well _F-Y-I_, a poem's still a poem." She replied, snappier then she had intended. The thin boy shook his head.

"No need to argue, someone will find out sure enough."

"And what's _that_ supposta' mean?" demanded the other boy thickly. "Come'on, You know something. So Spit-it-out!"

"Well! You know that special random drawing they are going to hold?" He paused for the effect, making the heavy set boy turn red in the face.

"That isn't anything new, spit the real info out!" The skinny blond boy grinned.

"Well, from what _I _heard, the winner will be able to read the entire epitaph of twilight for themselves." He finished, leaning back and crossing his arms; satisfied that he knew something no one else did. The large boy looked as if he was having a seizure out of pure excitement. The girl raised a brow.

"From _whom._" She asked suspiciously; the blond shrugged.

"I only overheard it, but it sounds accurate." He replied, earning himself a disapproving frown.

"Don't throw around useless rumors." She scolded; the blond merely shrugged again for a response.

The obscenely large automobiles came to a halt- and the ten occupants fell into a strained silence. The doors were opened- and the female stepped out first. She gazed in awe at the formidable building, which glowed brilliantly against the Tokyo evening sky. The K.E.C was at least three stories tall, and sported a circular front made of glass. The female did not notice that her feet had been slowly carrying her towards the building- with the others trailing behind. A Japanese woman in a pink business suit bowed politely and greeted them in heavily accented English.

"Welcome winners, to "The World's" launch!" the business woman greeted before smiling politely at them as she waited for everyone to filed out of the vehicle. She then gestured for them to follow her as she began moving towards the large double doors. They were made of thick panes of glass, yet opened and closed on their own. Other groups trudged ahead of them or filed behind; each escorted by an usher in pink. They were all led into a circular lobby; which sported a large curved desk. Two sets of large double doors stood at each side of it. A man stood in front of the cherry wood desk, smiling as he waited for everyone to get inside. As soon as that was done, he began speaking excitedly in Japanese and using a lot of hand gestures. As if on an invisible cue- the women in pink began to translate to their groups via the appropriate language. "…Congratulations on being chosen in our mass drawing. Today you will be the first users to ever log into "The World"; before anyone else! I hope you enjoy our event this evening! Each of you will receive a limited edition item upon creation of your character. You have also been automatically entered into a special prize drawing tonight. When we proceed…" The man went on, with the aid of the translators about general rules. How to locate our designated 'terminals', how to create our characters and so on.

The man concluded his speech with an exclamation of excitement that our translator did her best to imitate in English. "Welcome to "The World!"

The dual sets of double doors opened, allowing everyone to drift inside. The room was huge- mostly rectangular, except for a curved concave wall which a dark stage stood. The stage itself was elevated, surrounded by continuous stairs. They only went up about five steps; however.

The majority of the room had rows of long tables; covered in desktop computers. On each side of the long room were special tables manned by what Naomi took to be moderators or some sort of tech support. They rushed around; chattering to each other.

The sheer amount of machines made the room quite warm, but the female found it to be a lovely temperature. She brushed some long brunette locks from her face, scanning the rows. Each of them wore a special ID card that told their name, country and a special number. All of the desktops were labeled with dark numbers. She followed the others in her group, who found the correct row. Naomi's number was specifically forty-two; which she spotted easily.

The 'terminals' as they were dubbed, were the best of the best- specialized machines with a special operating system tailored to The World. The background was white, and she could cycle through the desktop icons. Naomi wished she had this sort of operating system at home.

Next; female examined the 'tools of the trade'- the headset and controller. It looked like a generic Play station Dual shock; in which she was pleased. The headset seemed right out of the .hack world; consisting of a visor that could flip up and down, and large headphones. She was able to adjust the plastic parts so they fit decently over and around her head. The visor made her nervous- being so close that it may hurt her eyes after a while. But a dial on the side of one of the earpieces could adjust the brightness of the screen. At the moment, all she could see was the computer's desktop.

During this time, announcements were being made; one at a time in each language. In English it mentioned that they were free to create their characters. Excited, she cycled through to "The World" icon and hit enter. The game loaded automatically into 'create a character.'

She raised a brow. There were way more options to customize her character then she first realized. Not only that- but almost all the classes were different.

"Steam gunner… Harvest Cleric…?" She mumbled as she cycled through- reading the definitions. One in particular caught her eye. The adept rogue- which allowed her to use multiple weapons. Indeed, brunette thought this to be a perfect class- so she could try out more then one class at a time.

The editor gave her a special amount of points; and the cost of each class's weapon. Up to three could be selected. Of course her first choice was twin blade- her original planned choice. This was followed by Blade Brandier; in which she loved swords. And the Flicker; which wielded a scythe. No doubt about it, scythes are awesome.

After this was done, she customized her character- mostly black; red and purple. With a hint of gold here and there. Wardrobe consisted of long pants, fitted but not tight- wrapped in belts here and there. Boots were black with golden soles. Top revealed belly; chest covered in crisscrossing belts. Arms were fully covered as well in similar fashion as pants. Fingerless gauntlet looking hand guards finished the armor. She did not select a hat; so long brunette hair was left un-marred. It reached down past her butt. Skin was left light- and eye was colored gold. The only wave symbol on the entire character was on right cheek. Sharp line accented by another which sloped upwards to it. Within this semi- circle was a single dot. The entire symbol was red- and sharp design indicated an affinity to lightning.

Final adjustments were made- before selecting a character name. Rather then use one from dot hack canon- commonly used internet Alias was used.

Naomi Wiflath

Ok was selected- and after a minute of loading; a black screen appeared. Upon it was a countdown timer and phrase in white. It read "A Dazzling Twilight Dream."

Naomi smiled, taking a deep breath and knitting her fingers on her stomach. Oh so lucky was she! To become one of the first in "The World!" Grin continued as she returned grasp onto her controller. The timer had reached below ten- and everyone was counting in his or her own tongue. It created an excited in-comprehensible chant.

"Five… Four…"

Female added her voice to the chant as well-

"Three… Two… One…"

Timer disappeared, and the twilight phrase began to flash.

"Launch!"

The game finished loading, and with a flicker of the screen she now found herself within "The World." According to her map, they were in a special area of Mac Anu. It was large and circular; bordered by water features that fell into crystal pools. Floor was old cobblestone- grasses growing between the cracks. It was this that she saw through her characters fierce golden gaze. Sky was perpetual twilight; with few clouds marring it. Players were warping in all around here. There were many voices; footsteps upon the dirt and stone.

And for a moment- she thought she could smell late summer blooms, feel a warm breeze caress her bare skin, taste the sweet evening air.

The girl looked through gaze of gold at the others around her, a frown crossing her features. Almost all of the other players had picked unoriginal, canon names. Some the same name in different languages or leet. She couldn't help but notice three 'Balmungs' clustered together and arguing. Fem snorted. It was inevitable that it would be a "race for the best name", the winners turning heel and the selling the characters. Alt selling, she remembered it being called.

Forming the other side of the circular area was a large stone covered in runes. Two admin characters guarded it, literally 'shoving' users away if they ventured too close. At that moment, a window blipped into existence above it. It featured the face of the man who they saw earlier in the lobby; he beamed at everyone before starting to speak.

"Welcome to _The World_!" the man in the image exclaimed in pre translated English. "I would like you to take a look in inventories for your special limited edition item!" Them man continued on as she clicked into her inventory. And there in-fact was a blue box labeled 'limited edition gift!'. Naomi equipped it and was delighted to find that her character now dawned beautiful feathered wings. She twirled around in circles, feeling excited and fortunate. They would be the only players with such beautiful; silvery wings- no doubt they'd stand out in a crowd.

Naomi paused at the thought. No doubt she loved the wings but- did she really want to be pestered by other players about them? She frowned at the idea; continuing to ignore the man talking in the window. _Maybe normal people would be too intimidated. _She thought, playing with the idea in her mind.

"…. Naomi Wiflath!"

"Huh- What?!" She blurted stupidly, all eyes now on her. "What? What did I do?" she asked lamely, earning herself a rough nudge by a nearby player.

"You've won! Go up there!" The male wavemaster said, giving her a shove in the right direction. She frowned, feeling awkward and offended at the same time. Adept walked forward, players parting way. They all stared, whispering amongst themselves. Rogue stopped before the hovering window, craning her neck up at it. She was met by a big Asian smile.

"Go forth, and learn the secrets of _**The World**_." He said, nodding. Golden gaze fell to the giant stone covered in runes. The two admin guards stepped away to allow her passage. Naomi froze, suddenly nervous. Her heart fluttered whilst as everyone stared.

"Well, are you going or what?" asked a male, whom sounded a lot like the heavy set kid from the hummer. She glanced at him, before approaching the stone. Carefully, she placed her hand on the stone, and was met by a frighteningly strong chill. The stone began to glow and a window appeared to her alone. She read it to herself in a whisper.

"_The will of 60 continues to talk to the world today.  
The words of 60 will turn the wheel of the goddesses carriage tomorrow.  
The world will turn,  
The word will turn,_

_THAT IS THE WORLD!"_

"What the…" She murmured; having seen something like this before. Yet she could not place it. A sound came to her ear. Like a chime it reverberated, not unlike the ripples in a pond. Rogue's blood ran cold, body became pumped with adrenaline from fear. "That sound…" She whispered, as it chimed again. Her screen flickered, and the special window disappeared. The stone was glowing with such intensity that she had to shield her eyes. Light exploded everywhere, before dimming once more. The light now seeped through a giant crack that scarred the large stone.

Something stirred from within it. At first it had no form, a mass of darkness that was now blocking out the light. But as it moved, its body twisted and contorted into a definite shape; clawing it's way through the crack. Upper torso was black and patched with random textures, face was hidden behind neon locks; crested with a dragon's skull. Its limbs were long and awkward, ending in needle like claws. Shards of data converged at its back; like wings.

Naomi was frozen in place, unable to move in game or out. There were screams and cries of alarm from other players. Rogue couldn't see much with her malfunctioning headset. Again that sound; that chiming of a tuning fork. Naomi looked up at the beasts face; a golden eye fixing itself onto hers.

Her lungs didn't seem to work right, as beast raised a deadly hand. Shards of data began to form around it; spinning as it bloomed like a deadly flower. Naomi couldn't run. Couldn't hide- but was able to whisper one last thing.

_"Data Drain."_

The beast fired; striking her PC square in the chest. User both in-game and out screamed; wracked in pain. Eyes were wide and unseeing. Before anyone realized what was happening; it was over. Rogue's body flickered, disappearing before it even touched the ground. The beast roared, causing the entire area to shudder. An urgent voice spoke over the intercom.

"_Please log off and shut down your terminals immediately._" It echoed, followed by a clatter of removed headsets on the tables. A row of admins on their own computers where working franticly to get the server stable and under control.

"Someone hasn't logged off! Number 42!" One reported in Japanese. The message was relayed to the woman doing the announcements. She repeated it.

"_User on terminal 42. Please log off now._" The lights flickered as the building was hit by a power surge.

"Get that damn kid to log off!" one of the admins exclaimed in frustration. He glanced around to find everything in complete chaos, and decide he would just pull the plug on the offending terminal himself. He ran down the isles, weaving around chattering participants. The mix of languages created an excited roar. As he moved, he spotted a monitor that was on and malfunctioning. It showed nothing but static. Slumped before it was a user. He grabbed them, shaking their shoulders.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" He exclaimed in Japanese. The player's body was limp in his grasp, completely unresponsive. The admin pulled off the headset to reveal a female. Eyes were half open; glazed over with an empty expression. The man fumbled about, before checking for a pulse.

"S- Shimata…!"

The pain. The Pain. That's all she could think about. That's all that existed, for time stood still. She opened an eye, then the other- and found herself floating in a vast space. Naomi felt as if an elephant was sitting on her chest.

"Where… am I?" She asked the nothing- her thoughts projected into an actual sound. It reverberated around her. Everything was drenched in pastel gradients, abstract objects floating along with her. Despite the pain in her chest, she felt very calm.

"Am I dead?" She again asked the void, only getting her echoes as a response. She shivered, crying out to the emptiness. "…I cant die! I don't want to die! I refuse to die!"

Footsteps echoed suddenly; causing her to stop. They were slow; but moving closer. The tuning forks chimed once more, everywhere yet nowhere.

"Who's there?" Rogue demanded, unable to move to look for them. Steps continued to get louder, as tuning forks increased in volume. It was out of the corner of her eye that the figure appeared to her. Figure was burry and distorted; haloed by an eerie glow. They were walking upside down, on a path that curved like a corkscrew. It did not fall with gravity, but was there gravity here?

"Hey! Stop, who are you?!" She demanded again, although her words were now swallowed by the tuning forks. The being had now righted himself compared to her, and was approaching fast. Compared to them, it was if she was lying on the ground. Figure was garbed in ivory armor; a matching scythe slung over their shoulder. He appeared to be male, face hidden by ebon locks. A blue flame flickered behind him.

Naomi stiffened as he came to a halt beside her. His gaze was hidden.

_"Ichi!"_

He took his scythe in both hands, and rise it above his head. Her eyes widened once the realization of what he was going to do struck her. "No! Stop! What do you think you are doing?!" she exclaimed as she tried to struggle. But she couldn't move. At all.

_"Ni!"_

The aqua flame behind him intensified, spreading outwards like wings. They were angelic yet sinister; figure giving her a fanged smirk to add to the effect. Naomi continued to struggle and yell for him to stop.

_"San!"_

A lock of ebony fell away, revealing the beings gaze. Rogue became trapped within it; inverse hues that were black and crimson.

_"Kansai Suru!"_

The beast struck down with his reapers blade, and the world collapsed into black. Naomi felt as if a fist had grabbed her heart, and yanking her body upwards. Like breaking the surface of water; she shook; coughing and sputtering. Chest ached with each beat of her frantic heart.

She was dazed, suddenly surrounded by many who jabbered in a mix of Japanese and English. Its roar pounded against her skull. She turned and struggled to get her body moving. Hands came to hold her down but she pushed them away- their very touch hurt.

Brunette managed to escape the crowd, stumbling to her feet. Many eyes turned to her, and stared. The commotion was almost defining yet she was in her own silence. She trailed behind broken cords of a portable defibulator, pausing at the top of the stairs- mind was blank with nothing but the sound of tuning forks. She whispered as people stared.

"That Azure flame…" Before the world went black.

One ending, you know, is really a new beginning...  
We are not finished. Our journey will still continue.


End file.
